Episode 01 · Solo · Thursday, October 15, 2026
Your Records Are Worth More Than Your Tractor
Why planting dates, input receipts and harvest weights are the most valuable asset on a small vegetable farm, and the five records that matter most.
“Your tractor loses value every year. Your records gain value every year you keep them. Most growers insure one and throw the other in a shoebox.”
Episode plan
0:00–2:00
The shoebox problem
What happens when a lender, buyer or insurance adjuster asks what a field actually produced, and the answer lives in memory.
2:00–8:00
The five records that pay
Planting dates, input costs per field, harvest weights, prices received, and labor hours. Why each one turns into money at a different moment.
8:00–14:00
Who asks for them
Lenders checking repayment ability, buyers planning pre-season volume, crop insurance, and grant programs. What each one needs to see.
14:00–19:00
Records stay yours
Keeping records doesn't mean handing them over. You decide who sees what, and when.
19:00–22:00
Start this week
One notebook page per field. Five columns. Ten minutes a week.
Key takeaways
- Records get more valuable every season you keep them.
- Five records cover most of what lenders and buyers ask for.
- You control who sees your records.
Sources we use
- USDA Farm Service Agency loan application requirements
- USDA Risk Management Agency production history rules
Start a one-page field record this week, then bring it to episode two.
Try the free farm calculatorsAudio and full transcript will be added here when this episode is released.